Trial in Feldkirch

Ex-girlfriend repeatedly sexually harassed

The defendant denied all the allegations. It was all just a joke.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall/Krone KREATIV)

A 24-year-old man from Vorarlberg had to answer for his actions at Feldkirch Regional Court on Friday - he denied everything. However, that didn't help him much.  

We were just joking around with each other", claimed the accused and pleaded not guilty to the charges. But according to the criminal complaint, they are serious. From the summer of last year until April 2024, the 24-year-old from Unterland is said to have repeatedly stalked his ex-girlfriend, who was the same age as him, sexually harassed her and performed sexual acts on her in public. This was despite the fact that the young woman had already made it clear to him that she wanted to be left alone.

However, the accused refused to accept the rejection and threatened the victim, who had a developmental disorder: "If you don't allow me to touch you, I will do something to your new partner." Even when the woman told him she was pregnant by her boyfriend, he would not let her go. This was also the case last April, when he ambushed her at Dornbirn train station and pushed her against a pane of glass. Thanks to fierce resistance, the pregnant woman was able to break free and escape.

Taking financial advantage
At home, she confides in her fiancé and also tells him about the previous incidents. A police report is filed. During the trial, the unemployed man pretends to be clueless. Instead, he accuses the ex of being a notorious liar who only exploits men financially. Whereupon public prosecutor Markus Fussenegger allowed himself the justified interjection: "How are you supposed to exploit her financially? They have nothing. No job, debts and living with their mother?"

When the presiding judge asked whether the defendant had known about the victim's mental impairment, he answered in the affirmative. "But I only found out about it in the course of the relationship. She was 15 or 16 when we met, but she was mentally at the level of an eight-year-old." However, they had not had sex. Whereupon the judge asks why he then demanded or announced exactly that in not exactly well-chosen words. The answer comes promptly: "I only said that as a joke. She liked my sense of humor. Besides, she liked dirty talk!"

"Didn't make any sense"
After this statement also fails to make sense to the court and the senate, on the other hand, considers the statements of the victim, who was questioned in a contradictory hearing, to be clear and conclusive, the public prosecutor demands a guilty verdict: "It would have been better if the accused had said nothing. Because what he said makes no sense."

After a brief deliberation, Judge Lisa Pfeifer found the 24-year-old guilty as charged and sentenced him to 16 months in prison. She awarded the victim 1500 euros in partial compensation for pain and suffering. The verdict is not yet final.